Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Vietnam 8 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 7.6 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 2,282 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 5.6 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 66% more densely populated than Vietnam.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.9 cm taller than in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 11.9 cm taller than in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 9 years older than in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.5 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Vietnam are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2.6 times the size of Vietnam’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 4.8 times as much per person as Vietnam.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in the Netherlands (Gini 10.4 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and Vietnam are practically level.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 3× Vietnam’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 35 times as much on health per person as Vietnam.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 7.2 years longer than in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 3.5 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.79 points higher than in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 25% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 18% more meat per person than Vietnam.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 381 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 722 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 3.7 years longer than in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 84% in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Vietnam are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 4% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 4.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vietnam.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 71% more CO₂ than someone in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 5.2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 13.2 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2.4 times as much rain as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Vietnam 8 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 5.6 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Vietnam?
People in the Netherlands live 7.2 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Vietnam?
Men in the Netherlands are 14.9 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
